Kenya gov't issues stern warning to int'l media

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008 file photo, displaced Kenyans Ruth Wanjiru, 1, and her mother Grace prepare to get out of a truck transporting the displaced and their belongings from a camp on the grounds of the cathedral to one at the showground in Eldoret, Kenya, following post-election violence. Kenya's first nation-wide vote since devastating violence broke out after the nation's 2007 presidential election will be closely monitored by the international community and local observers to help ward off potential problems, officials said Monday, Jan. 28th, 2013. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ó Kenyaís government spokesman appeared to make a veiled threat against international journalists while announcing a tough stance on information deemed divisive surrounding nationwide elections March 4.

Government spokesman Muthui Kariuki told a gathering of international reporters Wednesday that the government will summon journalists who publish stories that have a polarizing effect. He did not say what action would then be taken.

Kariuki told the journalists: ďWe will set you on fire before you set us on fire.Ē He said the media and pollsters were the catalysts of violence that rocked Kenya following a disputed presidential vote five years ago.

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More than 1,000 people died and 600,000 were driven from their homes following the December 2007 vote. The government is seeking to prevent a repeat of violence during this yearís election.